This invention relates to a windshield wiper connection for an automobile, and more particularly, to a windshield wiper connection having a locking and sealing washer.
Automobile windshield wipers are connected to the sheet metal adjacent the windshield of the vehicle by a linkage and fastening construction which includes a link connected to the lower end of a shaft which extends through a collar or the like secured through an opening in sheet metal adjacent the windshield. A knurled knob or cap is connected to the upper end of the shaft and is adapted to receive the end of a windshield wiper assembly. The collar is normally secured to the sheet metal by a nut which clamps the body sheet metal between a flange on the collar and a washer located between the sheet metal and the nut.
A snap ring is normally located on the outside of the nut to prevent loosening of the nut beyond a predetermined point. A sealing material is normally applied to the collar adjacent the opening in the body sheet metal to prevent the leakage of water through the opening. Thus, it is necessary to use a washer, a sealer, and a snap ring in present constructions. With such components it was possible for an assembly line worker to assemble the collar through the sheet metal opening and fasten the nut on the other side thereof by hand. Occasionally, these hand fastened devices would loosen, causing the windshield apparatus to malfunction. Moreover, in assembling these devices through the opening in the sheet metal it was necessary for an operator to hold the lower portion of the collar assembly as the nut was attached to the upper end thereof. This required both hands and also on occasion would require the use of a special tool to hold the lower side of the collar while the nut was fastened on the upper end of the collar. The present invention relates to this general type of apparatus.